Birmingham Selly Oak MP Steve McCabe pressed the Home Secretary on Wednesday over reports that Abaaoud met extremists in Birmingham in October. It is believed he planned the attacks in the French capital in which 130 people were killed on November 13.

Ringleader Abaaoud died alongside other militants in a police raid on an apartment in the Saint-Denis area of the city days after the attacks and it was understood that he bragged to fellow plotters how easy it was to gain entry into the UK.

However Mrs May would not elaborate on Abaooud’s visit or who accompanied the terror group leader to the West Midlands.

Mr McCabe asked: "It's believed that Abdelhamid Abaaoud, responsible for the Paris attacks, comes from the Molenbeek district of Brussels.

"I understand he was able to visit Birmingham last October.

"Can the Home Secretary confirm that he did visit the UK? Does she know who accompanied him? And can she rule out that it was anyone associated with the present atrocity?"

Mrs May told him: "He asks me to refer to people who were involved in the current atrocity that has taken place in Brussels. Obviously, this is an ongoing investigation and we are working very closely with the Belgian authorities to ascertain as much information as possible about the individuals who were involved."

Afterwards, Mr McCabe said on Twitter: "Home Sec refuses to rule out that Abdulhamid Abaaoud from Brussels visited Birmingham last Oct or say if she knows who accompanied him".

Anti-terror cops are now probing links between any Birmingham-based extremists and those involved in the carnage in Brussels and Paris.

Security boffins found images of the Bullring on a phone apparently belonging to Abaaoud, who comes from the Molenbeek district of Brussels where the bombers involved in Tuesday’s attacks in the Belgian capital were based.

Home Secretary Theresa May (Image: Peter Corns)

Disruption to airline passengers is set to continue after the main airport in Brussels announced it will remain closed for a third day.

Thousands of Britons are being forced to cancel or amend their travel plans after two explosions were detonated in the departures hall of Zaventem Airport on Tuesday.

The airport confirmed it will remain closed on Thursday and there is no set date for reopening.

It issued a statement which read: “Because the forensic investigation is still under way we currently have no access to the building. Until we can assess the damage, it remains unclear when we can resume operations.”